About K.O.P.E., Inc.

Knowledge of the Proactive Enterprise was founded in November 2002 and birthed from conversations in dormitories had by five college students attending a local university in Montgomery, Alabama. Concerned about the conditions of their campus environment, to them, violence and apathy seemed diametrically opposed to college-life. They eventually realized that it was but a microcosm of a much greater problem pervading society at large and started raising awareness of the issues by having awareness rallies (ARs) in high traffic areas of the campus such as the cafeteria, during dining hours, or at the entrance of buildings housing classrooms. The students developed a reputation at the school for being vocal about campus issues and soon joined staff members and the student government association (SGA) in protesting matters from pay rates to the administration's inattention to dilapidated dormitories.

After participating in rather controversial protests four of the five students transferred to schools in Atlanta, GA and Tallahassee, FL. Over the summer of 2003, they worked on developing the philosophy of the organization and structuring the organization to strengthen its roots in activisim with programs and initiatives that served the community. Since that time, K.O.P.E. has had two primary foci: service and activism. Through these avenues K.O.P.E. places a premium on service and activism in the areas of community development, youth leadership production and cultural revitalization. In this K.O.P.E. works to raise awareness of the conditions deemed to be the Five Greatest Social Ills: 1) Nihilism (or abject hopelessness) [recommended reading: Democracy Matters by Dr. Cornel West]; 2) Anti-Intellectualism [recommended reading: The Miseducation of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson]; 3) Classism [recommended reading: When Work Disappears by William Julius Wilson]; 4) Sexism [recommended reading: Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center by bell hooks] and 5) Racism [recommended reading: Race Matters by Dr. Cornel West. Click on the "Philosophy" link for an extended explanation of the Five Greatest Social Ills.